The Requiem of Noxi
"Many voices were silenced when Nox was laid to ruin. It is only through the Remembered that we learn of what transpired. The work is tedious, only having several hours before the spirits return to rest on the anniversary of that fateful night. Our Order's Oath is to understand the events, record them and help the Remembered find eternal peace. These are the stories from the night Nox was made into ruins. Many have been collected from the Remembered." ~Brother Marco Forte "The ships crept into the harbor with silent sails, their hulls swollen with the corpses of headless men. The bells of the Litany tolled for the dead, their light extinguished by the shadows that hang from a moonless night. The sky was heavy with sorrow and the city of Erasti wept. The heavens wept with us." ~Salvadore da Leze, High Clerist of the Litany of Light "There was and hand in the darkness. Grey furred and yellow clawed, and in it's clutch, it held a blade. I drew no breath, moved not an inch. The tavern's barred door was meant to keep them out but it became our prison. I looked not out the window into the darkness, for dark things lived within it. Silvia shuddered, her fear was contagious and I was within its grasp. My sister looked over her shoulder past me, my gaze followed. It's reflection danced on the pane, tiny droplets of rain fell and crippled the cold silence. It was watching us, and I knew, even ghosts can know fear." ~A girl name Elana of about twenty summers. '-'"It is odd that the spirit mentioned 'ghosts can know fear' as if she were no longer alive during these events. Which makes no sense as this should be the tale of that very death." ~Brother Marco Forte “The moon was stained by the crimson of blood, the clouds hung brightly, as if made of bleached bones. The dark light reflected off the city as if it were a mosaic of stained glass. One fragile moment was all it took for it to shatter into a million pieces. Thousand of voices cried out in despair, their ruin upon them. Their shield, shattered. Their sword, broken. Hope was lost in that moment...and a city died.” ~Marquessa Antonia Calvacanti "Three hours and thirty-three minutes is all the life they get once a year. The souls of a dead city rise only moments before their end. Each meets their doom once again, each time their sanity is diminished. Dawn comes to them as a mercy, silencing their cries for another year.” ~Brother Jacamo Papo “No one knows I pass through the ruined gates on the darkest of nights. No one ever will either. The first time I made the journey I cursed my elvish blood. To live so long without her. Then I saw my wife again, minutes before her death, I realized at that moment that I truly did love her. To see her whole again if only for a moment could mean my doom, and it didn’t matter to me. I realized the thousand moments I had taken for granted, and I wept for each one as I watch her die." ~Words from a lost journal, name unknown. "What was left to defend our Kingdom was naught but old men and boys. Some had seen the violence of war before and they were lesser for it. Crippled, the last of our veterans took charge, and prepared the walls for assault. The defenders gathered their tools of war. The last of the mages and a few remaining clerics stood proud. The Queen's own Banner snapped in the wind. A storm was coming, a storm that would kill a city." ~ Baroness Millina "The courtyard was filled with the rich odour of lilies, and when the cool autumn breeze stirred amidst the ruined hall of the first Broken Throne, a more delicate perfume of the black-flowering Thornrose hung in the air. The spiky vines embrace to the old stone chair clutching it in despair. Black blooms full and effervescent, a poison in the air." ~ Princeps Enzo Andrazzi upon returning to his ruined city. "I was lying dead in the churchyard. I saw my unmarked grave and shook with unquenchable fear.There was a wind in the door and it moved like death." ~A girl no more than sixteen summer, believed to be a castle servant. “Just before dusk that night, I stood barefoot under a cloudy sky. I wore my wedding dress, drinking Vardish Wine out of a chipped beer stein, and I searched for the stars. A pale moonlight fell upon the gown and made the sequins dance. My only companion was the dog who lay before me on the ground, cowered in fear.” ~Viola, on her wedding night.